Your Elk Hunting Habitat

[Swede]

I suppose we all have our favorite areas to hunt. Some folks here in Oregon prefer the wet west side coastal jungles and the big Rosies that are found there. Others just want to go some where away, while some prefer to hunt close to home. Different reasons and different areas for different folks.
I prefer the drier east side for my hunting. The area where I go is similar in many ways to what is shown on scenario 8, except the grass is often grazed by cattle to lip height, and it is very hard to find a big bull there like the one shown. On the semi-desert of central and eastern Oregon there are some isolated water holes, and due to their infrequency in places, an individual can set up and be more likely to have elk come in to them, even though there are less elk there than in many other areas. I rarely have to put up with rain where I hunt, but dust is a general nuisance. The forest land has mostly been tractor logged several times, so old roads are close together. The elevation averages about 5,500 feet. The timber is a mixture of Ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir and true firs. There is sage, Mountain mahogany and juniper nearby most places. Temperatures can range from the upper teens to the low 90s.
I like my area because it is a good rendezvous point for old friends, I know the area, and it has been good to me as far as getting elk is concerned. I think about going other places, but have not decided where I would rather be.
Now I am wondering how others view their hunting area, and how committed are you to continue hunting there.

[Harmy]

The areas I have hunted the last 10 years are around 9000 feet with the north facing slopes being thick fir and the south facing being sage, aspen, and scrub oak. The area has large sweeps of aspen hill sides and just about every elk I have shot has been in the aspens. There is quite a bit of water but water holes are often seperated by a mile or so. On only one occasion have I taken an elk off a water hole. On one occasion I took a spike from a ground blind across a canyon (500 yards) by just waiting for them to come out of the pines at dusk and cross into their open feeding areas. The rest have all been run and gun in the aspens which includes my only bull this last fall. Next year may find me at higher elevations and further away from civilization where the terrain is mostly fir and much steeper.

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[cnelk]

My home away from home....

[Lefty]

My area may be changing
Some of you were aware I hunt the open desert in Idaho. A long ways from everything. Other than the heat I love it
I called the biologist for the area yesterday. Interestinly I know the area way better than the biologist
Last summer 100,000 acres burned. Some of which had not burned in centuries.
What made this area "habit" is the 50-100 year old 3-5 tall Idaho sagebrush.
Areas burned last summer that had been protected by rock, in some areas just acres big provide concealment for the elk. It is now gone and likely not to return in our lifetime or maybbe ever.
The Biologist said even with replanting cheet grass will take over and the area will have continuous burns every few years
Maybe the only good news might be is it is also important sage grouse habitat,.. but I dont like the idea of the region becoming designated sage grouse habitat either
With the remnote bedding region gone

Ill give it one more year,.. otherwise Ill move to an area 6500-9500 foot mixed forest habitat and hunt like most up the elknuts on this forum

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The good sruff

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[easeup]

it sounds like yo will ave to move this year if the big sage is gone. there will no shade for the elk to be in there this summer.
no?

[elkmtngear]

Mixed Quakies, Dark Timber, and Scattered Parks of various size. Most of the action is usually between 8 and 9000 feet, where there is no road access.

[Trophyhill]

The habitat I've hunted has varied greatly from the dry Gila climate to 14er's in CO and I love it all. As long as there is food, water, cover and area I stand a good chance of finding elk

[Lefty]

it sounds like yo will ave to move this year if the big sage is gone. there will no shade for the elk to be in there this summer.
no?

Ive found over 20 head bedded on 98 degree weather in the wide open. But Ive never seen a bull in the open always in the shade
Ive been reallly thinking it over. There is a key watering trough a couple miles from where I hunt It it isnt being used in August Ill buy a tag
elsewhere It will be interesting what the IFG does with rifle tags
Ranchers really complain about desert animals coming in and feeding in beets and corn, destroying haystacks etc. I think if water was kept on the range, the main reason the elk travel so far to the cropland a lot of problems would be solved. Cattle get pulled, water shut off then there are problems

The desert can be amazing where there is water. The first trail cam I set up on a water tsank 4 years ago midmornig the SD card had 4700 pics before dark, coyotes, hungarian partige, white and blacktal jacks , cottontail , pygmys, birds of prey , and more birds,..amd one ranch truck

[woolymammothcaller]

SW New Mexico